Here’s What the $10 Bill Should Look Like

July 06, 2015

The recent announcement that a woman will be featured on the $10 bill is a promising step for women, especially given women’s woeful underrepresentation in politics and leadership positions nationwide. The redesign will be unveiled in 2020 in celebration of the nation’s strides toward gender equality. Yet there’s one major milestone in gender equity that still evades today’s women — one that is all too relevant to our nation’s currency: equal pay.

That $10 bill? It’s worth less for women.

While strides have been made since the Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, in 2014, women were still paid on average only 79 cents to every dollar paid to men. And things aren’t getting much better. Our research shows that the gender pay gap has barely budged in a decade. At the current rate, the gap won’t close for another 124 years, or until 2139.

Putting a woman on the $10 bill is supposed to symbolize the gains our nation has made when it comes to gender equity. And while symbolism is important, we simply can’t let it stop there. AAUW is putting out the call for Americans to join the fight for fair pay.